Uconn

HARTFORD — Morgan Tuck still wears the brace on her right knee, a reminder of the struggles she had last season with an annoying bruise that never let her show the many skills coach Geno Auriemma had raved about.

While the injury only forced her to miss four games as a freshman, it clearly affected her psychologically enough that she seldom played with confidence. That didn't keep her from pushing forward, however.

In fact, Auriemma said she continued to grow through the year even if she wasn't always physically able to show it.

He said that of those in last year's freshman class, which also included Breanna Stewart and Moriah Jefferson, Tuck made the quickest adjustment to the college game. She was playing like a junior in her first week of practice at UConn.

"The only thing that held her back was dealing with that nagging knee stuff," Auriemma said. "Otherwise she might have played more minutes than Stewie, or certainly as many, because you watch her in practice and you watch the things that she does (and) there isn't anything on the basketball court that Morgan can't do. She does them all well. I think sometimes she gets taken for granted, but not by us. That's for sure."

Feeling much healthier and more settled this year, Tuck has the potential to have a breakout season. She showed that emphatically Tuesday during the Huskies' 93-28 victory over Division II Philadelphia in UConn's second preseason exhibition in front of 6,108 fans at the XL Center.

With Moriah Jefferson sitting out with a tender ankle injured in the first exhibition, Tuck made the most of an opportunity to start and showed off her talents by scoring 10

See UCONN, Page 11B points (5 of 7) with two steals, two rebounds and one block in 11 minutes of play in the first half.

"Morgan is one of those kids that is pretty good at everything, all the aspects of the game," Auriemma said. "I think Morgan's great. She does all the things that good basketball players do. I've been saying that since she got here last year. She passes the ball. She dribbles it. She shoots it. She plays good defense. She rebounds it. I never have any complaints with Morgan. Ever.''

The 6-foot-2 forward showed off her versatility by hitting a pair of 3-pointers in the second half as she finished with 16 points, three rebounds, three steals, one block and one assist.

Stewart, who played only four minutes in the second half and 20 minutes overall, had a double-double by halftime. She finished the game with 14 points (7-for-11), 11 rebounds, six assists, six blocked shots and two steals.

The Huskies also received 10 points, eight assists, three rebounds and two steals from Kaleena Mosqueda-Lewis as well as 12 points from Bria Hartley. Kiah Stokes contributed 12 points, 13 rebounds and six blocks. Freshman Saniya Chong added 13 points, and walk-on Tierney Lawlor from Ansonia played 15 minutes with two points, one rebound and one steal.

Philadelphia's Monica Shacker scored 16 of her team's 28 points.

The game served as a reminder of just how good Tuck can be if she stays healthy. Auriemma was pleased to see her play well because he loves the composure and maturity she brings to the team.

"She's got a lot of Asjha Jones in her," Auriemma said. "The way she carries herself (is) very similar to Asjha Jones."

Her teammates are certainly encouraged by seeing her play without constraints so far this season.

"I think that as a freshman group as a whole, we all wanted to play better than we did (last season) because we knew how we could play," Stewart said. "And I think Morgan is really going to step up this year for us. She's the type of player you want on your team because she helps in all sorts of ways."Playing on a team loaded with All-Americans, Tuck can easily be overlooked. She said she embraces that, because it inspires her to play with a chip on her shoulder.

"I want to go out there and show that I can play," Tuck said. "I don't want to be out there and be the person (that others say about saying), 'Oh, you don't have to worry about Morgan. She can't do anything.' I definitely want to prove myself, and I think that's what all of us want to do. Not necessarily to like the crowd, but I want to prove myself to my coach and my teammates, as well, to let them know they can rely on me in games."

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